Middlesbrough welcomed four first-team players, including striker Emmanuel Latte Lath, back to training this week.
Middlesbrough have begun preparing for another season in the Championship under Michael Carrick.
Boro missed out on the top six by four points last season but are no doubt eager to mount a proper promotion push this time around.
Middlesbrough’s fixture list for the 2024/25 Championship season was released last week and sees them kick their season off versus Swansea City on Saturday, August 10th.
Before that, though, the North East outfit must undergo a pre-season campaign, which starts on July 20th versus Bolton Wanderers.
The majority of the Teessiders’ first-team players returned to training last week, with new signing Delano Burgzorg sharing his first pictures at the club on Instagram.
However, a few notable names were absent from Rockliffe Park last week but have since been spotted back at the club.
Emmanuel Latte Lath and three more Middlesbrough players pictured in training
One of the more notable absentees from Middlesbrough’s training camp last week was Emmanuel Latte Lath.
The striker was one of Boro’s standout stars in the previous campaign, netting 16 goals in 30 Championship games.
However, after being called up to the Ivory Coast national team for the first time last month, the forward was given an extra week off by Boro.
Now though, Middlesbrough have welcomed back Latte Lath, Seny Dieng, Anfernee Dijksteel, and Finn Azaz to first-team training this week.
Boro took to their official Instagram to post pictures of all four players back in training with the caption ‘Welcome back to work guys’.
Middlesbrough must manage Latte Lath carefully
While Carrick likely wanted his full squad back training as soon as possible, Boro’s decision to allow Latte Lath an extra week off was a wise one.
After losing Chuba Akpom to Ajax, the North East outfit have relied heavily on the 25-year-old to provide the majority of their goals.
Latte Lath stepped up to the plate in 2023/24, but Middlesbrough need to ensure the striker is not overworked in the forthcoming campaign.
Boro have limited quality options to fill in for the Ivorian at present, with Josh Coburn his only natural back-up.
Coburn scored five in an injury-hit season last time out and his minutes will also need to be managed in 2024/25.
A new striker is understood to remain a priority for Middlesbrough this summer but there is no guarantee a deal can be done.
As a result, Carrick must be careful not to put too much pressure on Latte Lath, who himself missed 10 games through injury last year.
Unsurprisingly, Boro won just four of those 10 games, highlighting how important it is for the striker to be kept fit.